Each card in the Arcana holds an echo of a character, a moment, a shift in the weave. Here, you can explore the insights by archetype, following the symbols that call to you.
✦ 0 The Fool
✦ I The Magician
✦ II The High Priestess
✦ III The Empress
✦ IV The Emperor
✦ V The Hierophant
✦ VI The Lovers
✦ VII The Chariot
✦ VIII Strength
✦ IX The Hermit
✦ X Wheel of Fortune
✦ XI Justice
✦ XII The Hanged Man
✦ XIII Death
✦ XIV Temperance
✦ XV The Devil
✦ XVI The Tower
✦ XVII The Star
✦ XVIII The Moon
✦ XIX The Sun
✦ XX Judgment
✦ XXI The World
Four of Wands
Five of Wands
Six of Wands
Seven of Wands
Eight of Wands
Nine of Wands
Ten of Wands
Page of Wands
Knight of Wands
Queen of Wands
King of Wands
Four of Cups
Five of Cups
Six of Cups
Seven of Cups
Eight of Cups
Nine of Cups
Ten of Cups
Page of Cups
Knight of Cups
Queen of Cups
King of Cups
Four of Pentacles
Five of Pentacles
Six of Pentacles
Seven of Pentacles
Eight of Pentacles
Nine of Pentacles
Ten of Pentacles
Page of Pentacles
Knight of Pentacles
Queen of Pentacles
King of Pentacles
Three of Swords
Four of Swords
Five of Swords
Six of Swords
Seven of Swords
Eight of Swords
Nine of Swords
Ten of Swords
Page of Swords
Knight of Swords
Queen of Swords
King of Swords
Lilac petals rest upon the path to disorder and mistrust.
Past.
It reminds of itself with each flicker of a candle,
With each landing image,
With each old item covered with dust.
Memories.
Any attempt to bring order casts a long shadow
Which will always have a mind of its own.
In its ghostly realm, it roams, guarding the treasures of forgotten joy.
Who was at fault? Greece or Troy?
None of it matters.
All feelings are toys at the universal scale.
All of them fail to bring peace.
What matters, then?
What do we leave behind?
What if all we leave upon the fallen leaves and broken stems of spring flowers
Are pain, suffering, and never-ending struggles?
Unless we are more than daggers in our hearts.
Unless we are the lilac petals, candles, and the scales.
Many Tarot interpreters know that when the Three of Swords appears, one should be ready for trouble. It typically symbolizes anything from a mild disturbance to a major disaster. Or am I wrong? Readers are welcome to comment. Regardless, this is how I have always seen it. After all, how else would one interpret three sharp daggers penetrating a cushiony heart?
But jokes aside, let’s delve a little deeper into the meanings of the Three of Swords.
Yes, the card does symbolize various unpleasantries, but in Astore Faber’s deck it is much more hopeful and optimistic. The positive aspects are represented by the lively colors: lilac purple, spring green, sunny yellow, romantic pink, warm orange, and bright sky‑blue. Even the silvery outlines, shining amid all this cheerfulness, make the blades seem far less dramatic.
The meanings of the colors do not change much from the previous cards, which also contain similar hues. Still, some nuanced differences are worth discussing.
Let’s start with spring green — the color of growth and development. In the Three of Swords, it contains a generous amount of yellow, making it more creative and imaginative. It hints at the occasional need for creativity and imagination when dealing with difficult situations and emotional states.
Lilac purple is a lovely, dreamy color. In Astore Faber’s mythology, it is the color of wisdom. Here, it is slightly diluted and innocent, yet still wisdom — intuitive insight, the wisdom of ages, even if drawn from dreams, old stories, or fairy tales. Unexpected or anticipated insights are invaluable when coping with challenges.
Yellow remains the color of imagination, ideas, and fantasies. In the Three of Swords, however, it is cooler and closer to the green area of the spectrum, which makes these musings more growth‑promoting.
At the center of the card, instead of the traditional heart, there is a composition of triangles pointing to the left. The emphasis is not on suffering itself, but on coping, dealing, overcoming, and healing. Memories (pink), social interactions (orange), and blue (mental processing and intuitive insight) all come together to help an individual cope.
It is worth mentioning that in Astore Faber’s mythology, pink is not only the color of memories (and the dreams and fantasies associated with them), but also the color of healing — specifically, the early stages of healing.
To balance the symbolic weight of all this, white and silver appear as purity, innocence, and the absence of thoughts and feelings — the state of cessation.
To summarize, the Three of Swords by Astore Faber is not merely a reminder of pain; it is an invocation of one’s potential for healing.
Take a deep breath and place the card before you.
Notice which element of the card draws your attention first.
Notice which element draws your attention second.
Close your eyes and observe how your mind processes information — see, recognize, visualize, understand, perceive.
Write down the ideas that arise — the interpretations closest to your heart.
Take a deep breath and focus on the essence of your question.
Notice which element of the card draws your attention first.
Notice which element draws your attention second.
Close your eyes and observe how your mind processes information.
Write down the ideas that arise, but this time interpret them through the lens of your question.
Ideally, the image should awaken the answers you seek. If it doesn’t, you may try again or choose another divination or reasoning method.
Sadness
Depression
Trauma
Illness
Need and desire to recover
Grief
Pain of any kind
Multiple surgeries
Cuts and bruises
Sharp pain
Chest pain of any kind
Anxiety-related pain
Stress-related pain
Muscle cramps and spasms
Metal work
Embroidery
Sewing
Making things out of paper
Any kind of difficult arts and crafts that requires precision and skills
Music (playing various types of instruments)
Editing
Writing complex works of any kind
Journaling
Difficult and painful relationships
Abusive relationships
Difficult relationships from the past that still have an effect
Being a harsh, difficult person to communicate with
Sadness or depression preventing from communicating in a healthy way
Losing a loved one
Constant criticism
Abuse in a family
Pain and suffering of family members
Quarrels or any kind of painful family conflicts
Feeling pain of a community
Struggling to support community members
Social awareness causes personal suffering
Helping other to deal with pain through personal experience
Feeling compassion towards those who suffer
Participating in dangerous (or potentially dangerous) activities to help others
Financial problems
Unexpected expenses (especially large ones)
Struggling to pay the bills
Financial crisis
Pulling resources together to resolve financial crisis
Law enforcement jobs of any kind
Critical care work
Hazardous and high-risk jobs
Being fired
Crisis at work (of any kind)
Disability or injury (work-related)
Critical thinking at work
Being about to pull together to overcome challenges
Being able to think under pressure or in high-stress situations
High-stress intellectual employment
Post traumatic care
Learning how to deal with high-stress situations
Nursing school
Education in the same areas (see Career)
Developing personal and professional skills that require a lot of effort
Reading
Ai
Home needs repairs of many kind
The neighborhood has many challenges or in need in repairs
Any environment that is in need of repairs or reforms
Post-disaster situation
Resources are being pulled together to fix problems
An opportunity to show one's abilities to function under difficult circumstances
An event may have many challenges
The position/ job may not be what one hopes
An opportunity to address one's fears
A difficult conversation (especially non-direct: phone, email, online, etc.)
Social media (especially the frustrating aspects of it)
Having no faith
Beliefs are based on intellectual reasoning
Spirituality is affected by negative experiences
Finding hope, faith, and spirituality through pain and suffering
Finding hope after suffering (especially through intellectual efforts)
Pamflets
Conflicts with spiritual or religious organizations
Environment that is meant to be spiritual ends up being stressful
Uneasiness about spirituality
Overcoming difficulties of any kind
Coping with loss (or multiple losses)
Building resilience
Learning from one's mistakes
Coping or getting out of difficult relationships
Challenges of all kinds (especially serious/ heartbreaking/ traumatic ones)
Holding on to pain and painful memories
Not letting go off a lost loved one
Avoiding fixing things (whatever it may be)
Many decisions may need to be made in a short period of time
Adjusting to difficult circumstances
Making difficult choices
Choosing a difficult path
Right now
Quick progression of events
Monday, Wednesday, Sunday
Three days
Within an hour
Seconds
Time goes by fast (doesn't apply when on holds on to/ experiences negative emotions)
Every second counts
Various pieces of advice on how to cope with pain and suffering
Prepare to make necessary repairs
Be kind to yourself when in pain or suffering
It is possible to find a way out of a difficult situation, even if it's not what you want or expect
Some battles require time
Hidden pain, suffering or trauma
Undiagnosed illness
Hidden issue that will reveal itself soon
The words have double meaning
Side effects
Something that may seem pretty innocent may have serious consequences
Many challenges lie ahead
Pain may be expected
You can overcome challenges but it will require effort
We all possess the answers we seek — even if we’re tired of hearing that phrase, it remains true. Those answers may be tiny flickers in the dark or bright as the sun. Sometimes, to understand the nudges and clues of our subconscious mind, intuition, the Universe, god, or the spirit world (whatever you prefer), we need a tool. Tarot — in this case, Tarot of the Fool by Astore Faber — can become that tool. It can help us awaken, clarify, or interpret those answers.
Still, tarot is just a tool — a way of playing with symbols and letting the mind speak in its own language. It’s not meant to replace professional guidance, medical or otherwise. If something in your life needs real‑world attention, please turn to someone qualified to help. The cards can offer insight, but the choices — and the responsibility — remain yours.